#6. PROTHEANS
The ones who came before. Before humans, salarians, turians, krogans, even the asari took to the stars and were little more than primitive species tied to their home planets with little to no technology to speak of, the Protheans ruled the roost. They were the most advanced and powerful alien race throughout the galaxy, and though they haven’t been around for a long time, it is because of discoveries of their artifacts that many races – including humans – have been able to advance the way they have. The Protheans were, of course, wiped out completely 50,000 years, and their story is linked inextricably to the mystery and central threat of the Reapers, which, in turn, means that they’re crucial elements of the series’ primary narrative arc as well.
